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The Vocal Showcase

Presented by Nashville Jazz Workshop at Nashville Jazz Workshop

October 30, 2010

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On Saturday, October 30 the Jazz Workshop presents a very special evening of performances by some of its most accomplished vocal students. Selected through a rigorous audition process, these four vocalists have gone through an intensive 12-week class with instructor Connye Florance focusing on fine-tuning their performance skills and presenting a top-notch set with a professional band.

Performing will be:
Lucy Arvin:
Lucy has had a long association with the Jazz Workshop, and is active as both a performing and visual artist. She says -- "The most enjoyable and memorable times of my life have been when I’ve been singing. I've worshiped with a church choir, strummed my guitar as a folkie, acid rocked the night away and even twanged a bit of country. But since I've become a student at the Nashville Jazz Workshop, my joy has grown with every class that I've taken. To be able to communicate my heart through the music of the the Great American Songbook has become a dream come true. And to be selected as one of the performers at this very first NJW Vocal Showcase is a thrill and an honor. The opportunity to create this show with the guidance and inspiration of Connye Florance, Lori Mechem & Roger Spencer has been awesome."

Lynn Lewis:
Lynn Lewis received her degree in Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga where she played trombone with the jazz ensemble that performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in France. After raising her family and building a successful band program from the ground up she decided to take a new direction and began singing with an eighteen piece big band in Columbia, Tennessee where she currently lives. This led to her forming her own jazz ensemble called Quintessentially Jazz which performs as a trio up to a sextet and includes her husband and younger son as members. They perform regularly in the middle Tennessee area at restaurants, weddings and private as well as corporate events. Currently she is enjoying being a student at the Nashville Jazz Workshop.

Bonnie Parker:
It was love at first sound when Bonnie discovered the music of Frank Sinatra at the tender age of eight and her life would never be the same. Soon, jazz stylists dominated her music collection. "When everyone was listening to Def Leppard, I was listening to Peggy Lee," she says. Born in Miami Beach and raised in the Florida panhandle, Bonnie came into her own amidst a family of musicians. Being raised in an artistic environment led Bonnie to performance at an early age. Though she studied acting and played both the piano and trumpet, she found that her true passion was singing. "My first vocal solo was exactly four words long and you wouldn't believe how nervous I was," she laughs. "But I loved it and have been singing ever since." After attending Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee and studying abroad in London, England, her jazz vocal tastes began leaning more towards what she describes as "cocktail jazz." When she discovered Julie London she knew her life would never be the same. "I admire and appreciate true 'jazz' vocalists like Ella and Billie, but I'm addicted to stylists like Dean, Julie and, of course, Frank," she explains.

Hal Stephens:
Hal Stephens was born in Scotland Neck, NC. His parents are responsible for his love of the music of the 30's and 40's. His Father, Harold was a Jazz Guitarist. Hal moved to Tennessee in 1988 to pursue his career in music. As much as he loves to sing, he equally enjoys songwriting. Most recently, his song, "Even In Paris," which was co-written by Nashville Jazz Workshop's Lori Mechem, was featured on vocalist Monica Ramey's debut CD, "Make Someone Happy." Hal, who lists his influences as Gershwin, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, and Bill Evans among others, has been singing professionally in the Nashville area for many years. Hal lives in Franklin, TN with his wife, Joan and children, William and Claire.